The U.S. Army’s PEO Soldier has awarded Remington Arms Company a contract for the modification of 250 M24 sniper rifles, a first batch of up to 3,600 M-24s to be modified into the XM2010 weapon systems – what the Army calls the M24E1 “reconfigured Sniper Weapon System”. The modified rifle is chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges, (originally the M-24 was designed for 7.62mm NATO .308 Winchester) significantly extending the weapon’s maximum effective range from 800 to 1,200 meters. The Army expects to begin fielding the upgraded weapons to deployed U.S. Army Snipers by the end of December 2010. The current upgrade is expected to sustain the XM2010 weapon system in service for at least 10 years and will serve as a precursor to future sniper systems. The value of the current award is $192,000 while the potential value of the entire program could reach $28.2 million

According to LTC Chris Lehner, Product Manager Individual Weapons at PEO Soldier, the program has matured within less than a year, through close cooperation between the Army and industry. “The XM2010 had pinpoint precision,” said SFC Robert Roof, NCOIC/Chief Instructor, United States Army Sniper School. “We were able to achieve shots well within the weapon’s capabilities both during limited visibility and during the day. The optics were clear and easy to use and the ergonomics of the weapon made it very comfortable to shoot.”

1 COMMENT

The Mark IV 6.5 X 20 –unscrewing a cap to adjust the windage makes No sense and doubtful the Army had any thing to do with this failure of a scope!
Any shooter would rather have the ability to have all adjustments at his fingertips, as with the CQBSS without making unnecessary visible movements and or giving away his position, and risking the loss of a scope cap. This is dangerously absurd.
As shooters, the U.S. Army never suggested Leupold to build a scope that you must unscrew your caps to make adjustments, that will get you killed!